People and Colors of Colombia

Colombia is a colorful country full of interesting people. We couldn't get over how the people were so, well, Colombian.


The men in Eje Cafetero look exactly like Juan Valdez, the famous Colombian Coffee icon. They sport ponchos, hats, and mustaches, the works. Check out this guy behind Randy in Salento. See!

Women wear ponchos too and it seems to make a lot of sense for the climate, which is generally moderate but can get chilly at night.

Mr. and Mrs. Guzman

We met the Guzmans on top of a mountain, where they run a little low key restaurant and crash pad for hikers. They served us hot chocolate and cheese and let us photograph them in their kitchen, which was straight out of an 1800s re-enactment.

The people come across as very industrious and hard-working. They seem to work very hard for what they have and they're proud of it. They are also kind, helpful, and courteous, not to mention very amused at our use of Spanish.

Julio, our coffee tour guide.

We spent a few hours with Julio, who gave us a tour of the coffee plantation he works at. Since no one else showed up, we got our own private tour. He shared, in Spanish, his vast knowledge of coffee beans and the manufacturing process.


Colombia is greener than green. Go to the countryside and you'll feel like you're looking at everything through green tinted glasses. And in the cities, it seems the people can't get enough color. The buildings are simple, but what they lack in fancy architectural details, they make up for with paint.

This is the style of a typical building - lots of bright paint!